World's 100 richest people got $241 billion richer in 2012

The richest people on the planet got even richer in 2012, adding $241 billion to their collective net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires...

Supply of 'shadow' homes declines again

House hunters looking for bargain properties in the new year will probably be disappointed.

Imports top local films as China box office grows 28% in 2012

China's movie business continued its rapid growth in 2012, and for the first time in four years Hollywood imports accounted for the majority of the...

Analyst predicts $96-million write-down on 'Rise of the Guardians'

DreamWorks Animation may end up losing nearly $100 million on its recent holiday release "Rise of the Guardians."

Al Jazeera completes deal to buy Current TV

Current TV, the small cable news channel that was co-founded by former vice president Al Gore, has been sold to Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based media...

LG first to sell the first large-screen TV with OLED technology

The first big-screen TV using OLED technology for super-crisp images is finally hitting the market.

Business, anti-deficit groups say 'fiscal cliff' deal falls short

WASHINGTON -- Business and deficit-reduction groups said the "fiscal cliff" deal enacted Tuesday night was a positive step because it averts huge...

How tax increases will affect households

The tax package passed by Congress will prevent one set of tax increases from hitting the vast majority of Americans, but it won't stop them all. A...

Fiscal cliff deal won't help labor market, economists say

Lawmakers may have avoided another recession by coming to a last-minute deal on the so-called fiscal cliff, but they did little to boost the...

In 'augmented reality,' toy makers see a way to compete with apps

Unable to resist the "Try me!" sign, 8-year-old Julian Rivas held up a box containing the Star Wars Death Star Lego set in front of a yellow kiosk and...

Hong Kong real estate investors pursue parking spaces

HONG KONG — The hottest properties in this frenetic city have no walls, windows or even front doors. Forget condos, apartments and homes.

Location looms large in pump prices at California gas stations

Record gasoline prices in 2012 and calls for investigation of California's fuel markets have brought into focus a persistent peculiarity of the state'...

2012 was a good year for high-end home sales in L.A. County

Last year was the best for high-end home sales since the housing bubble burst, and among those making the A list for celebrity mega-deals were...

The 'fiscal cliff' con game

Whatever the ultimate shape of the "fiscal cliff" solution that has preoccupied all Washington, and a fair swath of the rest of country, in the...

Griffith Park was the most popular film location again in 2012

Griffith Park, Point Dume, the 6th Street Bridge near downtown L.A. and a former community hospital in Boyle Heights reputed to be haunted ranked...

Thieves break into Paris' flagship Apple store

PARIS — Masked and armed thieves used the New Year's Eve celebration to rob the flagship Apple store in Paris.

Here's to some wishful consumer-friendly resolutions

It's a time for new beginnings. So here are some resolutions I'd like to offer on behalf of some of our friends in the business world.

Optimistic stock investors reaped rewards worldwide in 2012

Wall Street closed out the year with a surge in the final trading session, betting on a last-minute resolution of the so-called fiscal cliff.

California's 2012 average gas price was $4.028 a gallon

Californians had a bad year at the pump in 2012, averaging a record $4.028 for a gallon of regular gasoline, according to AAA.

In Hollywood, game company Ubisoft takes a thumbs-on approach

For the last two decades, video game movies have been so bad that the genre itself has become shorthand for failure.

California regulators seek to police out-of-state pharmacies

SACRAMENTO — State regulators are responding to a deadly nationwide meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated drugs by seeking new power to...